Photopolymerization of Imprinted Polymer with Dummy Template for the Recognition of Hydroquinone in Aqueous Medium

Abstract

This study' purposes are to synthesize molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) using p-xylene under ultraviolet curing at 405 nm for the recognition of hydroquinone (HQ) in aqueous medium. The template was extracted from the polymer with a mixture of methanol and acetic acid (9:1) by volume (v/v). The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum of MIP (after wash) showed the absence of peak at the range of 840–860 cm−1, which represented the stretching outside the aromatic plane C–H at the para position (p-xylene). Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) micrograph showed that the MIP had cavities compared to non-imprinted polymer (NIP). The MIP (MIP-Pxy) with ratio (monomer:crosslinker) 0.25 and 1.00% template gave the highest uptake of hydroquinone (HQ) in aqueous solution, which implied more specific recognition (highest KD value). The rebinding of HQ onto MIP-Pxy was best described by both isotherm (Langmuir and Freundlich) and kinetic model (pseudo-first and -second). The MIP was successfully synthesized using p-xylene, able to recognize HQ and was very selective to p-CP. Implication of the study, the synthesized MIP can be used for recognition and sensing materials for HQ and any similar molecules.

Keywords

• imprinting factor
• p-xylene
• phenolic compound
• electron donor-acceptor
• adsorbate